The bond between a mother and her child is as strong as one can be. It’s something special and sacred, and the distinction is unmatched.

For T.L. Hanna All-American defensive lineman Zacch Pickens and his mother, Felicia Harris, their bond goes beyond the love they share for each other. It always has extended to the football field.

“I always said I wanted to play in the NFL,” Pickens said as he and Harris were mobbed by fans seeking photos and autographs following the North Carolina-South Carolina Shrine Bowl. “She has always told me that I could be NFL bound, so I just took that and ran with it.”

On Wednesday morning, with his mother by his side, Pickens will move one step closer to realizing his dream when he will sign a National Letter of Intent to play football at the University of South Carolina. It will be the end of his high school football career and of a sometimes-hectic recruiting process. Though, with the help of Harris, he was able to navigate his way through it.

What about on the field, you may ask? “If I missed a tackle, I made an ‘F,’” Pickens said as his mother laughed.

“He’s been a good kid,” Harris said when describing her son. “He’s always been a good kid, a real humble kid, a very giving kid. He never really gave me any trouble.”

But, it was Pickens’ love of football at a young age that started him on his current path.

“He played little league for the Steelers,” Harris said. “And it just literally grew from there.”

8T.L. Hanna defensive lineman Zacch Pickens (90) tries the get around a blocker during the 82nd annual Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas on Saturday, December 15, 2018 at Wofford's Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, SC.(Photo: DAVID GROOMS/Contributor)

So did Pickens.

He has matured into a 6-foot-4, 283-pound force on the field, becoming one of the top recruits in the country. As the recruiting letters poured in from schools across the country, so did the phone calls from coaches trying to lure Pickens to their respective school. Harris encouraged her son to make the decision he felt was best, but she also wanted him to evaluate all of his options.

“Every visit we went on was great,” Harris said. “We were thankful for any and all offers that he received. But it was a great process. I wanted him to be exposed to everything. I wanted him to see the schools and do the research himself on the programs and the coaches.”

After all of the letters, phone calls and visits, South Carolina stood out.

“Its home,” Harris said. “It’s always felt like home.”

In Pickens’ senior season, the Yellow Jackets went undefeated in the regular season, captured the Class AAAAA Upper State title and made their first state championship game appearance since 1974. All along the way, Harris was there to support her son and his teammates.

“She’s loving,” Pickens said when asked to describe his mother, who could always be found in the stands wearing Gamecocks apparel and encouraging the Yellow Jackets. “She’s my biggest everything, really.”

Harris echoes those same sentiments about her son.

“People already know about him because of Twitter and social media and what they post about him,” Harris said. “He’s not a big social media person, but people always tell me what a good kid he is and how respectful he is and I always talk to them about how proud I am of him.”

That relationship is going to continue on the same field as his last high school game, Williams-Brice Stadium, because Pickens has a message: “We’re coming! We’re coming!”